ANNABEL ONYANGO CROWNED KENYA’S TOP STYLIST DURING DEACONS FASHION SHOW
Annabel Onyango was the winner of the Deacons Fashion Show event that was held at the Thika Road Mall (TRM) on Sunday 28th July 2013. The seasoned stylist beat six other stylists to be crowned the Best Stylist, taking home a cash prize of KSh 100,000 and a glittering trophy. In second place was Wambui Thimba of The Standard Group, while Eddie Kirindo of Drum took the third position; they each walked away with KSh 50,000 and KSh 25,000 respectively.
Ms Onyango put her heart into it, creating winning collections from the Zara and Masimo Dutti brands carried at the 4U2 stores as well as the Woolworths, Angelo and BabyShop brands. Other region’s best stylists who took part in the inaugural DFS were Connie Aluoch, Wambui Kibue, Sunny Dolat and Anyiko Owoko. The stylists put together eight looks from the 4 stores located at the TRM mall which had earlier opened its doors to customers for trading.
The winner impressed a panel of four judges led by seasoned designer Ann McReath of Kiko Romeo, seasoned stylist and True Love Editor Carol Odero, model and former radio personality Pinky Ghelani-Raj, Deacons C.E.O Muchiri Wahome and Guest Judge Ioma McReath.
The fashion show was the first ever of it kind in East Africa to recognize top stylists.. Commenting on the Fashion Show, Deacons Kenya Limited C.E.O Muchiri Wahome said, “Indeed we have discovered who Kenya’s finest Fashion Stylist is. Congratulations to Annabel Onyango and all the stylists for putting up the show. The stylists brought out different tastes through their collections and we are proud of all of them.”
He added, “Deacons will work closely with all the stylists. We would also want to do more for the local industry. The fashion show was just a beginning of the many ways we are looking at partnering with local Kenyan fashion stylists and designers. We are keen on making this an Annual event.”
On her part, Ms Onyango lauded the stylists; “They’re all professionals and good at what they do, so it was anybody’s game. DEACONS have really given Stylists a national stage, as well as Kenyans a chance to catch up sartorially with the rest of the world. We all worked really hard to put on a show for the audience, and showcase our individual aesthetics. My win is definitely a win for all of us. I have a pretty distinct professional style – colour along with layering – and that’s how I approached this challenge. I also tried to keep my looks in line with Deacons messaging to do with market relatability and accessibility. As for my personal style, it’s a mix of everything that’s trendy at that given moment, with a twist of quirky.”
Fashion collections from the world’s fastest growing retail brand Zara marked the climax of the show. Zara will be stocked in the Deacons owned 4u2 stores located, at the Sarit Center, the Thika Road Mall and Capital Center.
